1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to holders for walking canes, and more particularly to a cane holder for securing a cane on or about the person of the user, but which allows the user to have free use of his or her hands when the cane is not in use, and wherein the cane is held on the person of the user within easy reach when needed.
2. Preliminary Discussion
In recent years, the number of persons who might require the assistance of a cane while walking has increased significantly. Such increase is due primarily to the gradual overall aging of the population, which in turn can be attributed in large degree to significant advances in medicine and generally improved living conditions. However, such medical advances have also allowed younger individuals suffering from particular maladies or who are partially incapacitated as a result of an accident or other happening, which persons might otherwise be incapable of walking or moving around at all, to regain at least some of their mobility more quickly than in the past with the assistance of a device such as a cane.
Although canes can be enormously effective in aiding one's mobility by partially transferring the user's weight from the legs to the arms as well as by steadying such person, in effect providing three legs rather than only two, most cane users also find that it is desirable to have a means for quickly and effectively temporarily storing such cane when it is not in use. For example, during times when the user is sitting down or in a resting position, the cane is not required to be used, but preferably should be stored within easy reach of the user for convenient retrieval when such cane is again required for use. However, often there is no convenient or practical place to store or rest the cane within easy reaching distance. If the cane is placed temporarily aside, older users not only may forget where it was placed, but the cane may be precariously placed, and when an attempt is made to recover it, frequently it will be just out of reach or may have been knocked down or over or may have slid to the floor where it can itself constitute a tripping hazard. In addition, many cane users do not have the ability, vision, or range of motion to easily walk, bend, or otherwise move to recover a cane which may have been resting against a wall and fallen to the floor, whereupon it may have become a tripping hazard or danger itself, not only to the user, but to others. Not infrequently, the cane user himself or herself may knock over a standing cane and then have difficulty in recovering it, or even be unable to recover it, from the floor. On the other hand, a cane user often does not wish to hold the cane when it is not required, as he or she wishes to have his or her hands free to perform other tasks, such as preparing food, opening medicine bottles, eating, writing, using the telephone, or sometimes the cane owner simply wants to rest without having to grasp the cane.
While various approaches have been attempted and frequently adopted for either holding a cane nearby the user or in a vertical position or both, there are also a wide variety of sizes, shapes, styles and other structural differences between canes. Often, a user will have several different canes, each having slightly different dimensions. For example, while most canes have a generally rounded shaft, others may have a generally oval or even square or rectangular shape. There is also a wide variance in the types of handles among different canes, as well as differences in the diameters of the shafts of canes. Thus, any holding device for canes must be able to be used on a variety of differently dimensioned canes. Such device should preferably also be able to hold the cane clear of the floor while standing and relatively close to the owner and more or less upright when sitting in order to prevent a tripping hazard.
3. Review of Related Art
A wide variety of straps, slings, lanyards or leashes for carrying or holding items such as bags, fanny packs, skis, canes, umbrellas and the like on one's person or secured to a nearby surface are known in the prior art. The disclosures of the following patents provide a general overview of the kinds of cane holders and similar or related holders that have heretofore been available or devised.
U.S. Pat. No. 439,423 issued to J. B. Potts entitled “Umbrella or Cane Holder” discloses a U-shaped clip which is pinned to the user's garments and wherein the cane is inserted and gripped between the arms of the clip.
U.S. Pat. No. 702,398 issued to E. M. Bowyer entitled “Supporting Device” discloses a snap-type umbrella or parasol holder which in use is secured about the waist of the user by a belt and having elastic loops which are snapped around the umbrella.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,663 issued to R. J. Torres entitled “Umbrella and Sling Therefor,” discloses a simple adjustable strap having a small ring secured to one end that is hooked over the pointed ferrule on one end of an umbrella, with a snap hook secured to the opposite end of the sling that is clipped to a swivel just above the handle area of the umbrella, creating a sling which can be hung over the shoulder of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,742 issued to D. C. Hunn entitled “Cane Holder” discloses a spring clamp device for holding a cane in a vertical position secured to a table or the like, rather than on or attached to the body of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,730 issued to C. L. Carpenter entitled “Cane Guard” is designed to help a user recover his or her cane if it is dropped and consists of a hook-and-loop type fastener and rubber O-ring which are affixed around the shaft of a cane and a retractable chain secured around the waist or belt of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,758 issued to J. E. Tipple et al. entitled “Multi-Looped Cane Retaining Strap,” discloses a strap which is secured to the wrist of the user by a hook-and-loop type wrap and having a flexible leash that is looped around the shaft of a cane and is adjustably tightened by a crimping-type fastening means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,319 issued to M. Cavadini et al. entitled “Holder for a Coin Cup” discloses a strap which is looped around the neck of the user and attached to a circular platform for holding a coin cup used in casinos while playing slot machines and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,292 issued to P. Dorney entitled “Detachable Strap for a Plastic Yard of Ale,” comprises a shoulder strap or lanyard having a hook-and-loop type fastener on one end for removably securing to an ale glass.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,808 issued to R. P. Epps et al. entitled “Cane Positioning Strap,” discloses a strap for holding a cane or similar article in a vertical position when not in use, comprised of an adjustable sling strap and a hook-and-loop or snap type retaining strap. While Epps et al. provides a strap for holding a cane over a chair or arm of the user until it is needed, such reference does not disclose a cane-engaging member similar to the present inventor's.
Other devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,605 issued to W. W. Hilton entitled “Impact Responsive Extendible Arm Pick-Up for Walking Cane or the Like” are designed to facilitate raising a fallen cane or crutch to an upright position, rather than preventing such cane from falling. In Hilton, an arm member attached to the cane automatically extends or pivots upwardly when the cane or crutch is dropped so that the owner can simply grab the arm and pull the cane up without bending to retrieve the cane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,385 issued to W. H. Simon entitled “Cane Retrieval Device,” discloses a retractable cord attached to the wrist of the cane user and secured near the curved holding area of the cane. Such device, however, requires that a housing be attached to the wrist of the user, which is both inconvenient and uncomfortable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,414 issued to J. B. Crusor entitled “Cane Holding Apparatus and Method,” discloses a holding device wherein a hook-and-loop type material is attached to the cane and a flexible panel attached to the belt of the user so that the cane is detachably held to the belt panel.
Despite the wide variety of straps and slings known in the prior art, none of such devices addresses the problem of holding or carrying and positioning differently sized and shaped canes when not in use in the same manner as the present invention. Furthermore, there is still presently a need for a device for holding canes that can be temporarily held in a vertical position in close proximity or reach of the user with the cane well above the floor when standing, plus preferably secured to one's person most preferably in a manner that maintains the cane reasonably upright and within close reach of the user when sitting or reclining.